Blogs

In WWNK 12/15/03 , we mentioned stem cell research and TriStem for the first time. Since we think this new science deserves a place in the spotlight, here's an extensive write-up on what may well be the world's most spectacular stem cell breakthrough...

The Next Bush Recession This week we enter the realm controversial. The election is over, and now reality will impinge its often unpleasant odor over the political landscape of the hopes and dreams of all sides of the debates. I explore the world of Republican...

Introduction The recent economic reports suggest that the economy remains in a “soft spot” as it’s being called. Growth is still solid, and should remain so, but it is still somewhat below the level needed to create large numbers of new jobs. The government...

Introduction This week's letter is from another one of the country's top economic analysts, Paul Kasriel of The Northern Trust Company. Kasriel is Senior Vice President and Director of Economic Research, responsible for producing the Corporation's...

Ronald Reagan--a famous skeptic of social assistance--once said, "Welfare's purpose should be to eliminate the need for its own existence." What then would Reagan say about billions in government handouts going to recipients who just keep...

After the Internet became available, it didn't take advanced users long to realize they could use the service to speak to each other. It was only necessary to convert voices into digital packets using a new Voice-over- Internet Protocol, or VoIP-...

For the first time in years, Americans are not afraid of terror attacks. That would be good news, if it weren't for the simple fact that the al- Qaeda scare has been (temporarily) outmatched by another: The flu. A nationwide panic has erupted since...

According to a recent poll, those young Americans who believe in flying saucers outnumber those who think Social Security will be there for them in their old age, by about two to one. While they may or may not be right about UFOs, the kids' skepticism...

Premise #3: A Falling Dollar In March of 2002, I wrote an e-letter entitled "King Dollar and the Guillotine," which as the title suggests was a quite negative view of the future prospects for the dollar. Two weeks earlier, I had written a bullish...

Introduction I have written a lot about the 2004 presidential election this year. The War on Terror, the war in Iraq and homeland security have been central themes of both campaigns. However, there is a very important campaign issue that I have not yet...

Introduction "Where," asked Jack Nicholson's character about Batman, "does he get all those wonderful toys?" Many readers wonder about where I get so many great articles. I get them sent to me by a "network" or readers...

Introduction What makes one person a pessimist and another an optimist when speculating about the future of the US and the markets? How do we come to our most basic assumptions? This week we look at some insights into human nature I picked up in Tahoe...

Introduction This week's letter is from two of my favorite economists, Van Hoisington and Dr. Lacy Hunt of Hoisington Investment Management Company in Austin, Texas. They specialize in management of fixed income portfolios for large institutional...

Introduction This week's letter is from my favourite behavioural finance thinker, James Montier of Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in London. James wrote a fascinating book two years ago called "Behavioural Finance: A User's Guide" and...

Introduction This week's letter is from Financial News Online. Located in London, they are one of the leading sources of information about Europe's investment banking, fund management and securities industries. Financial News ran a piece last...